Hampshire gardeners celebrate wins at Chelsea Flower Show (From Daily Echo)

Hampshire gardeners celebrate wins at Chelsea Flower Show

12:54pm Tuesday 25th May 2010 in

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HAMPSHIRE gardeners are today celebrating after winning awards in the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show today.

Green-fingered experts have been crowned as having the best blooms in the glamorous garden event in West London, which opened to the public today.

Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres in Ampfield, Romsey scooped the gold award for the 65th year for its exhibit 'Adventures in Gardening' by gardening adventurer and Hillier managing director Andrew McIndoe and his team.

A double celebration took place as Ricky Dorlay, of the centre, celebrated his 45th year of working on the Chelsea Flower Show masterpieces.

Other award winners at the fashionable flower event showcasing their colourful and creative displays were:

· Tracey Griffin, Sandra's Florist based in Holbury, Southampton won the Silver-Gilt Grenfell award in the Chelsea Florist of the Year Competition.

· Sparsholt College won the Silver-Gilt Lindley award in the Continuous Learning category.

· Green and Blacks Rainforest Garden, by Jane Owen with Ann-Marie Powell, Newington Nurseries, Margerrite Akom, Jeanne Noah and Mathilde Zang from Petersfield celebrated taking the gold award for its courtyard garden.

· Ainsworth Displays, of Waterlooville, won the gold award for its floral marquee.

· Hampshire Carnivorous Plants, of Allington Lane, in West End, Southampton, took the gold award for its floral marquee for the 12th year.

· Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants, of Whitchurch, won the gold award for its floral marquee.

· Isle of Wight Lavender, based in Newport, scooped the bronze flora award for its display.

· Solva Plants T/A Heucheraholics, of Pilley, in Lymington took the Silver-Gilt Flora prize for its display.

The masterpieces from the county are among 600 exhibits around the globe which even includes a garden decorated with £20 million of diamonds.

The RHS show will run until Saturday. It is set to attract more than 150,000 visitors.